Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association, said getting Culver elected is a huge priority for the group.

"We can't afford to lose Iowa," Richardson said.

Culver, the Democratic candidate for Iowa governor, is running against Republican Jim Nussle, who is giving up his seat in Iowa's 1st Congressional District.

The governor's office is becoming open because incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack is not seeking a third term to consider a possible bid for the party's presidential nomination.

The announcement came one day after Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Republican governor's have pledged $500,000 to Nussle.

Richardson said gridlock in Congress makes it important for Democrats to take control of governor's offices where they can

"If we're going to change America, the best way is in the states," Richardson told union activists at an Iowa Federation of Labor rally in Waterloo.

At the same time, Nussle began the first commercials of the general election campaign, with a 60-second radio spot that began airing statewide on Thursday.

The ad criticized Culver for proposing to use a portion of the state worker retirement fund to finance venture capital programs.

Richardson said the Democratic Governors' Association decided to invest heavily in Culver because he's run a strong campaign, and because the party wants to increase the number of governor's offices they hold to more than 25. Currently, there are 22 Democratic governors, he said.

The visit to Iowa was the first for Richardson, who is mentioned as a possible candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"After the (2006) election, I'm going to make up my mind," Richardson said of any presidential hopes.

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